Swords of the Eternals: Helpless
by Snow Tempest
Summary: Four years after the Kingdom of Darkness was obliterated, Seth and Kendra take on their separate roles to help both humanity and Fairykind. While Seth and Jin cross the globe in search of their missing friend, Bracken; Kendra handles business in the Fairy Kingdom, helping the country prosper. What will happen if Seth manages to find Bracken again?
1. Chapter 1

Seth watched the clouds roll by as he sat in the shade of his tree house looking up at the blue sky.

Next to him his adopted daughter played with a magical brass spyglass he had picked up from his latest adventure. These days he was always traveling the world, stopping Dark Fairies from getting out of hand, acting as an embassy of the Fairy World, adventuring, getting himself into trouble, and most importantly, tracking down Melkor, the Dark Unicorn, who had escaped the Dark Fairy Realm and was now at large in the world, causing destruction and sickness wherever he went.

The truth was, Melkor wasn't always evil, once upon a time, he and Seth had been friends, but that all changed when the seal was broken on the hornless Unicorn's cautiousness.

Seth sat there twirling a blade of grass between his fingertips as he thought. The day was peaceful, but his mind was filled with dark storm clouds of worry and regret.

"I'm sure he's still alive Papa." Rox suddenly said, bringing Seth out of his thoughts.

"I didn't say anything, Roxxie" Seth said, bemused at the little girl's prediction.

"You don't have to." She said, holding the spy-glass still in her hands, "I just know." She looked back up at him from her lap and exclaimed, "And I know Bracken's alive, so don't worry about it!"

"Right, Kiddo." He chuckled and ruffled her hair.

Four years had passed, but still Seth had not even come close to trapping Bracken or even finding a way to purify the horn to bring him back.

"If he's alive, then where is he and what is he doing? Can you see him in your magic spyglass?" Seth poked the metal cylinder with his finger and watched Rox pout and put it up to her third eye and squint through.

"He must be doing majestic Unicorn things or something! I can't see him." She said, putting down her spyglass and flopping over onto Seth's lap. Seth grinned and tickled her, causing her to erupt in childish laughter.

"And what, exactly, would classify as 'majestic Unicorn things'?" He joked, grinning happily.

"Saving the world from evil!" Rox proclaimed standing up determinedly.

"But isn't that what I do?" Seth asked sheepishly. "I'm not a unicorn…."

"No, you're not." Rox agreed, "You are a part of Team Ghost, right? You get an exception."

"What is Team Ghost?" He asked, getting to his feet and leaning back against the tree.

"You and Aunt Jin; you both have ghost-y powers!"

"I see…"

Jin and Seth had worked together for a little more than three years now trapping Dark Fairies, tracking Melkor, and putting a stop to any Magical activity. Recently they had started operating world-wide as a crime-fighting duo in the magical department.

"Seth!"

He looked towards the house as the car horn blasted from the driveway.

Jin sat in the driver's seat and gestured for Seth to hurry up.

Seth sighed and turned back to Rox,

"I've got to go, Kiddo. Promise me you'll be good and I'll bring you back something else. Deal?"

"Deal!" She chirped cheerfully, then her smile faded, "You just got back; why are you going again?"

"We have a new lead." Seth said. He looked upward at the sky once more, "Maybe this time…" He whispered. He looked down and smiled at Rox once more before running down the hill and over to the car.

The breeze whipped the indigo hair out of the Jinn's face as her wise eyes watched her papa leave the preserve. She smiled softly to herself, clutching the scope to her chest, "You'll defiantly find him one day… Papa."


	2. Chapter 2

Kendra sat in her office in the Fairy Kingdom checking documents and giving her approval to project launch parties. She had the duties of overseeing the development of the Fairy Kingdom as well as the trades and administrations connection to the human world.

The Fairy Queen had been introduced to the idea of trade with humans, at first she seemed opposed to the idea, but as time progressed the country's people began taking an interest to human affairs and merchandise.

And so shops like _Elves and Cousins_, _Alchemy Central_, and _Fairy Good Buys_, began selling their wares in the human world on the internet. Shipping was handled by the industrious Brownies through their many secret passageways, making delivery quick and affordable.

This was all well and good, it benefited the Fairy Kingdom greatly, but as a result Kendra was forced to do more work.

She sighed, stretching her arms and back, it was tiring work, but it was a good thing all her memories settled back into place before she started any of her actual duties.

She was the Princess of the Fairy Kingdom, Adalyn as well as Kendra Sorenson, and both of her lifetime's memories clamored for her attention. Just a year ago she would get these mind-splitting headaches as the two sides of her fought for dominance.

The reason for her returned memories and regained Unicorn form was her death four years ago in the prison of the Kingdom of Darkness. Her brother had made a deal with the pit of Hell to bring her back, but the entity had not only brought her back to life, but forced her to regain her memories and powers.

Kendra stacked the papers and left them on her desk, pushing back her chair and standing up, stretching out her legs. She walked over to her office mirror and thought of where she wanted to go and stepped through.

She appeared in the sick room of the Consort of the Fairy Queen, the magical aids and the machines did their work humming and beeping at the side of the bed. She stepped over to the bed, the nurse nymph gracefully breezing away after bowing to the Princess.

Kendra came closer to the bed and took the pale hand of her first father, Oberon.

He smiled up at her placidly and coughed a little; she quickly took the glass of water by his bedside and let him drink some. After he sighed in contentment she settled down into the chair by his bedside and put the cup down.

"Adalyn…" He breathed, his pearly blue eyes scanning her features with recognition.

"Yes, Father." She said softly, smiling a little for him, but feeling sad and guilty as she did so.

"You were so little when I saw you last… You were so small… Such a kind child…" He muttered, his eyes losing focus as he reminisced about the past, his attention turned back to her. Suddenly his back straightened and his gaze became a glare, "Where is that brother of yours? What is he thinking?! Leaving you alone… I never see you without him around!" His banter dissolved into coughing again and Kendra rubbed his back and handed him his water glass.

"I don't know where Bracken is, he might be out in the human world." She said robotically, and not for the first time.

Her father nodded and pointed at her, "If he doesn't shape up soon you won't have a proper protector!" He smiled fondly at her as he touched her cheek, "My favorite daughter... your father only wants to see you always safe, you understand, don't you?"

She nodded, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, "I know."

His hand dropped from her face and for a moment his eyes glazed over. He blinked, looked down at his lap then up at Kendra again. Tears formed in his eyes as he gasped,

"My daughter! You are all grown now! What happened?" His voice shook as he reached out for her face again.

She clasped his hand and said, "It's a long story."

Kendra walked through the Fairy city after talking with Oberon, feeling drained. It always hurt her to see him that way, always forgetting their conversation and having to start anew, keeping the whereabouts of his other children from his mind. It would break Kendra's heart to tell him that all of his other children were dead or missing.

She heard the sound of her human father not too far away, so she continued on in the direction of his voice. She found him by the fountain checking the temperature of a little gnome.

Scott removed the thermometer and nodded sagely, "You seem to be running a slight fever of two-hundred three degrees. That's a bit high, you might want to stay home today from work, fevers can be quite nasty. When your fever drops back down to a hundred-ninety-nine you can go back to work, okay? Take care of yourself now."

The gnome seemed a little put-out that he wouldn't be working, but offered Scott a shiny green pebble as payment nonetheless and muttered,

"Aw, jigwigs!... Thank ye." Then allowed himself to be totted home by his gnome wife.

It was strange, having two fathers, one a catatonic hornless unicorn, and the other a human science major currently teaching the Fairy race to use machines and make medicine more affective.

Scott had been given the title of 'Fairy Doctor', which was a great honor only bestowed upon six humans in the history of Fairykind. He was greatly valued in the Fairy community and not to mention hugely popular.

He was almost always in the Fairy Kingdom for work and was considering becoming the first official human resident within the kingdom, but Martha put her foot down and felt determined to remain in the Human world.

So Kendra lived in the palace with the Fairy Queen, Oberon, and the Astrids. She traveled to Fablehaven whenever possible to visit her family and boyfriend, of course, and she kept close contact with Seth, giving him leads and jobs related to Dark Fairy appearances.

"Hey, Kendra!"

She looked up at her father, who was cheerfully waving her over, she walked over to the bench he was sitting on and also sat down.

He excitedly showed her some architecture plans her mother had drawn up, Kendra took it from him and inspected it.

"These are the new plans for the International Embassy?" Kendra asked, looking from the blueprints to the spot they were planning to build it.

"Yeah, and do you want to know why it's the coolest?!"

Kendra nodded as she scanned the notes at the bottom of the sheet on the bottom of the stack.

"It's got a glass roof!"

Kendra nodded mechanically again, "These plans look great. I'll submit this with the contract and paperwork later this week."

Scott studied his daughter; she had changed a lot since the jailbreak, not just in appearance, but in demeanor. She was more distant, she wasn't his little girl anymore; she was a princess of a country that needed her.

"Did Seth come home?" She asked, causing him to snap back to attention.

"Yes, but he was only back for three hours before taking off again. Man, I would say he's too independent for his age, but he's an adult now." He rubbed his thinning grey hair. "It makes me feel kind of old!" He joked half-heartedly.

Kendra smiled and nudged his shoulder with her own, "You're not that old, Daddy."

Scott smiled sadly at his daughter then stood up, "I've got to get back home. Chili for dinner! Want to come?"

Kendra considered his offer then nodded, "I could use a break." She turned to a nearby fairy and smiled, "Would you be so kind as to see this to my office?"

The fairy with the tulip skirt blushed and sighed, "I-it would be an honor, Princess!"

Kendra smiled again, "Thank you." and handed the papers to the fairy.

The tulip fairy happily sped off after curtsying to Kendra, leaving Kendra free to go.

"Let's go," Kendra said, then stepped into the fountain.


	3. Chapter 3

Seth drove along the highway with the headlights on, sipping his black coffee they had picked up from a donut shop on the way. The clock read 10:35 PM, they had been driving for twelve hours straight and they still hadn't reached their destination.

He took his hand off the wheel and rubbed his tired eyes and yawned.

"If you want I could drive." Jin suddenly said, causing the car to swerve as Seth panicked. Once he righted the car he shot a glare over at his friend.

"No."

He reached over for the wheel but Seth slapped her hand away, "No touchy."

She sat back in her seat and pouted, crossing her arms. "I am not a bad driver. Remember, before you turned sixteen I got my American driver's license and did the driving!"

Seth cringed and swallowed back nausea at the memory. "Yeah, thanks for driving me around during that one year!" He exclaimed sarcastically in monotone, "As payment, I'll chauffeur you around for the rest of eternity!"

Jin stuck her tongue out at him and huffed, "You _FAY-FAY duh PEE-yen_*!" (Baboon's asshole)

"You are a stupid monkey-butt too, Yu Jin." Seth calmly retorted without skipping a beat. He had worked with her long enough to know exactly what all of her insults meant.

She turned her head to look out the window, "But seriously, if you need a break, we can stop at a hotel."

"But we're so close."

"If you call 14 hours away 'close', then yes! You will be a zombie by the time we get there!" She argued, pointing to a sign by the side of the road, "Look? See? Hotel. Exit now."

Seth sighed and turned into the exit, silently acknowledging her point. They parked in a hotel parking lot and got out, grabbing their bags.

Seth flicked Mi'aiq's fluffy head,

"Hey we're going to get a room, you okay here?" Seth asked the sleepy cat.

_Yes, Mi'aiq will be fine… bring Mi'aiq back some fish, nice fish… Mi'aiq likes fish… FIIIIIIIIIIIsssshhhhh. _He purred, half dreaming.

Seth rolled his eyes at his needy feline companion,

"Right,"

Then he shut the door and locked the car, walking into the brightly lit hotel with Jin.

The receptionist was a friendly-looking older woman; she smiled at the two as they came through the automatic doors.

Seth went up to the counter and smiled, "Can I get a room for two please?"

The woman smiled cheerily and asked, "Oh, are you and your girlfriend on a trip?"

"We're not-" Seth and Jin said at the same time.

"Oh, you two are so cute! Of course you aren't dating!" She winked. "One queen sized bed?"

"Two twin size beds please." Seth said bluntly, sliding a credit card across the counter.

"Alright! Two twin beds. Here you are," She handed them two keys. "How many days?"

"Just tonight." Seth said.

"Room 310. Complimentary breakfast in the lobby in the morning from 6:30 to 9:00. Enjoy your stay!" She said cheerfully.

Seth ad Jin went up to the third floor using the elevator and instantly crashed right on the beds once they got in the room.

They lay there on the beds, half in a daze, half in immersed in fluffy blankets. Until Jin broke the silence by mumbling into the sheets,

"What are we going to do when we become Eternals?"

Seth turned his head to face her, "I dunno, do Eternal stuff, I guess." He said nonchalantly.

"Will we go our separate ways?" Jin wondered rolling over on her back to look up at the ceiling.

"Who knows?" Seth mused. "I don't know the rules, I don't know what it's like, I don't know what I will do or be like a year from now. All I can do right now is believe that I will make the right choices."

He stretched and rolled out of bed, "I'm going to turn out the lights and get some sleep. And nothing short of murder is going to wake me."


	4. Chapter 4

"Man! I'm stuffed!" Scott crowed as he patted his stomach, he flashed a thumbs up to his wife, "Amazing chili, darling!"

Kendra put her spoon in her empty bowl and took it over to the sink. She turned to her mother, who was washing the dishes and asked.

"By the way, where is Gavin?"

Kendra's mother shrugged and pointed in the general direction of the barn. "He might be in the barn."

Grandma Sorenson chuckled; "He is in there most the time, isn't he?" she stood up using her cane, "Can't be helped. It's where he sleeps, after all. Viola likes him for whatever reason."

Kendra nodded and went to the door, "Then I'll be heading out."

Scott put a hand over his mouth and laughed pompously, "Oho! I see you are going to visit the bad-boy of Fablehaven! You know," He grinned and posed, "Your father was a bad-boy back in his day!"

Martha knocked him on the back of his head and looked up at Kendra,

"Go ahead, darling. I'm glad you could stop by."

Kendra nodded silently and left, closing the door behind her.

"You know, I think she's getting even more anti-social." Scott commented, rubbing the spot his wife had knocked him.

Kendra opened the huge barn doors and stepped inside, they creaked closed behind her and shut with a bang.

The barn was empty, the giant cow nowhere to be seen. Kendra frowned in disbelief and turned around, Gavin had appeared right behind her.

He smiled and held his arms out, "Where's my hug?"

Kendra smiled back and fell forward into his arms. Gavin rocked the both of them back and forth until they eventually staggered around together in the semblance of classical dance moves.

They parted and laughed, Kendra more softly than Gavin. Kendra's eyes flickered with a distant light as her gaze wandered.

Gavin frowned and tilted her chin so that their eyes met, "Hey," He said softly, "What's wrong?"

Kendra stared at him in silence for a few long moments before saying, "Nothing."

Gavin looked unconvinced and Kendra felt a pang of guilt before it faded almost instantly.

He transformed into a dragon and lifted her up to the loft. He turned back and led her to his sleeping nook padded with blankets and pillows from the house. He pushed her down onto the sleeping mat and flopped over next to her, pulling her into a warm embrace.

She squirmed to get her face out of Gavin's chest and he let up on the squeezing.

"You are tired and probably over-worked." He soothed, stroking her hair, "Don't stress yourself, just relax."

She sat up and shook her head, "That isn't my problem, Gavin."

He looked curiously up at her and touched her arm, sitting up beside her, "If there's anything I can do to help…"

"Kiss me." Kendra said instantaneously, looking him straight in the eye with a blank expression.

Gavin scrutinized her features for any hint of irony, "Are you joking?" He tilted his head from side to side to get a better look at her face, "Because you would never just point-blank ask me to do such a thing; it's way too scandalous." He sighed, "Is this a test? For all I know you want to see how…"

A tear streaked its way down Kendra's cheek, causing Gavin to freeze up and pale.

"I'm so sorry! You _are_ serious!" He took her hands delicately and began panicking, "Please forgive me I was just confused, I'll kiss you now, I swear!"

But before he could move closer to her she put a hand to his lips,

"Just don't, it's no use." He voice was dull and the tears stopped flowing. "I can't feel anything."

"What do you mean?" Gavin asked, stroking her pale cheek worriedly.

"My emotions feel… dulled. Everything is really distant and I don't care about anything but helping the Fairy Kingdom… It's like… Everything is meaningless!" She sobbed, clinging to Gavin.

He rubbed her back and kissed her head, "It's alright. I don't really get it, but I'm glad you told me. I'm your boyfriend; you should depend on me more. Hey, I know! Why don't I go get something I know will help? You stay here and I'll go get it."

Kendra nodded, pulling back, emotions already settling into a muted nothingness. Gavin hopped down the ladder and ran out the barn door.

A minute later he returned with a tub of chocolate ice cream and two large spoons. He grinned and pulled her to her feet.

"We're going up to the roof."

They sat on the roof sharing the tub and looking at the stars. They had brought up a blanket with them and sat with it over both their shoulders, keeping out the slight chill of the late summer night.

All was peaceful and calming; Kendra's heart began to beat a little faster when Gavin kissed her cheek, leaving a chocolaty stain. She felt a little more reassured that she cared about something other than almost nothing.

She was about to lean her head on Gavin's shoulder when her phone rang, she fumbled her hand in her pocket to grab it. She pulled it out and answered,

"This is-!"

Her eyes widened.

"How did you get this number?!"

She gritted her teeth and felt a stab of agony in her head.

She hung up and hurriedly began calling someone else.

Gavin put a hand on her arm, "Who was it?"

Kendra ignored him as the other person picked up.

"Kendra… Do you know what time it is here?!" the voice of someone who just woke up drawled over the line.

"I've got news, big news." Kendra interrupted.

"What? What big news…?"The person sleepily yawned.

"I just got a call… from Melkor."


	5. Chapter 5

"Kendra… Do you know what time it is here?!"

"I've got news, big news." Kendra interrupted.

"What? What big news…?" Seth sleepily yawned, scratching his stomach

"I just got a call… from Melkor."

Seth's eyes snapped wide open, suddenly very, very awake.

"How?! Why?! What did he say?!" He sputtered, falling out of bed and floundering to keep the phone next to his ear as he struggled to put on pants.

"Hold on, I need to hang up, then I can retrieve the recording…"

"Recording? You managed to record it?"

He put his left leg in the right pant leg and tripped.

"Not manually, but all my conversations on my phone are recorded automatically, it helps me with my job. Now, bye."

She hung up, leaving him with a dead line. He tossed the phone a little ways away on the floor and zipped his pants up. He got up off the floor and tugged on his shirt.

He grabbed Jin's shoulder and shook it.

"Hey! Wake up!"

She opened her eyes and rolled out of bed, "Is it an emergency?"

"Just get dressed just in case."

She grabbed her denim jacket and pulled it on as Seth's phone pinged with his text tone.

He grabbed it up of the floor and looked at the screen. An audio recording was attached to the message, he downloaded it and hit play.

"This is-"

"_Hello, Kendra_."

The sound of Bracken's voice chilled Seth to the bone.

"How did you get this number?!"

"_I have ways and means… Now, down to business; it seems I have a little stalker on my tail. I'd just love to get rid of the little pest you see… and you want to keep him alive, don't you? He's your brother, of course you would. So why don't we play a game? I will hunt down everyone you love, everyone who has helped you, anyone who has ever given you shelter; they will all die…"_

Seth shook with deep emotion; he wasn't sure whether it was hate or love but he felt like killing something. The shadows around him danced wildly as his fingers itched to pull the ring Bracken had given him four years ago to suppress his powers.

"_Unless your brother, that damned Avitus, dies. I want him dead. And I want you to kill him. Who do you value more? The lives of your Knights of the Dawn friends, the lives of all your subjects, and the lives of all those you know; or your brother's existence?"_

Seth's brown eyes glowed amber like smoldering embers with intense hatred threatening to burn away the last of Seth's control.

"_It's your choice_."

Then the recording clicked off.


	6. Chapter 6

The sound of Kendra's high heels echoed through the corridor as she simmered quietly like a summer storm about to let loose. She kicked her own door down and stomped into her office, shutting the blinds as she went, veiling the room in darkness.

She plunked down heavily in her chair and swiveled it to face the trembling Fey Folk in front of her.

"Report?" She snapped, rubbing her aching temples.

The Astrid saluted and reported, "The preserves in Tibet and in Timor are both secure. Your friend Tanu has been notified of the threat and he has taken action."

A brownie stepped forward humbly and neatly said, "Four Pines is on lockdown."

A vivacious black-haired fairy flitted forward and announced, "Rio Blanco is clear!"

A nymph gracefully nodded and declared, "Stony Vale is perfectly safe and veiled from all eyes."

A penguin waddled forward and declared in a Brooklyn accent, strangely enough, "Both bases in Antarctica are good, toots."

Kendra gritted her teeth in irritation as the tension in the room rose, her other reporters were late; she swung one leg up over the other and drummed her fingers on the table.

_Sorry I'm late!_

A cheerful voice called from the hallway, the smallish silver dragon squeezed through the doors and stumbled into the room.

Raxtus saw the solemn expressions in the room and composed himself, dipping his head bashfully and bringing his foreclaws together.

"What did your father say?" Kendra inquired.

_Well, what he said was pretty rude… You might want not to hear—_

"I want to hear it word for word." She snapped, then saw how Raxtus retracted a little in fright, her eyes softened and she spoke again, "Please, Raxtus."

Raxtus brightened and straightened his back, _Alright, he said to say, 'You good-for-nothing Fairies stay out of Wyrmroost's business or we will destroy your kingdom! And how dare you doubt our security! There is only one key to Wyrmroost, no one gets in, no one gets out!' That's what he said. _

Kendra frowned and crossed her arms.

Raxtus shuffled nervously, _Wyrmroost will be okay, right?_

"Maybe not," Kendra tapped her fingers on her arm in apprehension, "The one who happens to posses the only key _is_ Melkor. I wouldn't bet on your home's safety."

A fairy fluttered in the door and twittered, "Living Mirage is closed and on high-patrol!" Then she fainted, another fairy caught her and struggled to keep flying from the extra weight of the heavier fairy.

Kendra stood and crossed the room to the fairies; she gently took the exhausted fairy in her hand and pushed the intercom button.

"Bring a fairy-sized bed, some nectar, and some medical supplies." She requested, cradling the Turkish Fairy in her hand.

"Thank you, my Lady." The fairy in her hand sighed, waking up briefly, and then fainting again.

Kendra smiled at he being in her hand, "It's fine, just rest."

She pressed the intercom again and asked, "Has the informant from Lost Mesa come in yet? What about the representative from the Knights?"

Silence on the other end did not reassure her. She paced worriedly until the aid for the Fairy came, she busied herself making the fairy as comfortable as possible as she sent the others back to cheack of the preserves a second time.

When they were gone she breathed out heavily and went to go back over to her desk, but there was a knock at her door.

She turned around and called, "Come in!"

Gavin opened the door and came into her office; he looked around and smiled, "Nice office."

Kendra gasped and ran to him, catching him in a hug, "What are you doing here?! You aren't allowed in the Fairy Kingdom…"

He laughed and showed her a badge, "Your mother personally invited me here."

On the badge was a picture of Gavin along with the words, _'Royal Personal Security Force: Knights of the Dawn- Rank 10'_

"I'm your bodyguard from now on. Your mother seems to be just as shaken up about this as you." He said, "I'm not sure to be happy about this development or worried that even the Fairy Queen is concerned."

Kendra relaxed a bit more and breathed in his scent, he smelled like hay and the flowers at Fablehaven. _Fablehaven._

She looked up wildly at him and exclaimed, "Is Fablehaven secure?!"

"It's fine. The preserve is locked up tight, we have Hugo if we need him, and I got the centaurs thinking that someone was out to get their territory, so they're on edge as well."

"Will that stop him, do you think?" Kendra worried, biting her lip.

"No," Gavin shrugged, "It might slow him down for a few minutes, though."

Before Kendra could say anything else the intercom crackled, "The informant from Lost Mesa is in. Expect them soon."

Kendra let go of Gavin just as the door opened. A bloodied Astrid fell through the door and knelt,

"Lost Mesa… was devastated. The undead and spirits were loose, some of the Fairies are choosing to evacuate to here. All the humans there were dead."

Kendra's eyes went wide in horror, "The Caretaker?"

"Dead." The Astrid said solemnly.

"Who else?" Kendra asked bitterly, half not wanting to know.

"Two others, a woman and a man, presumably assistants."

Kendra shuddered and swallowed hard, "You may leave."

The Astrid rose and bowed, leaving the room without another word.

Gavin looked anxiously at Kendra, who didn't appear to be thinking of anything in particular, which disturbed Gavin more than he could say. He lately couldn't tell what she was thinking, and she wouldn't tell him, so often he was left in the dark.

She pulled her phone out of her dress pocket and dialed Seth's number.

"I need you to go to Lost Mesa; I will arrange a plane flight for you. I want you to put the dead back in their place and determine whether Melkor was there… Yes, I have it… Sure, I can do that, why?...Alright, in return, I'll do that for you… Yes, I'll let you know. Bye."

She hung up and slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"It will be fine, I've got the team on the case. What I need now are some umite candles."


	7. Chapter 7

Seth and Jin arrived in Arizona six hours after the report. Seth rented a car and drove the rest of the way to the preserve according to the directions Kendra sent him.

They drove along in grim, sleep-deprived silence as Mi'aiq played with the skull keychain attached to Seth's phone.

_Is there a particular reason you have asked Mi'aiq to sit of your phone?_ The cat asked, his tail swishing in contentment.

Seth checked his friend in the mirror, "Yes, Kendra is going to call if she finds any information about Avitus in Patton's books. Patton did a lot of things, if he had information on Avitus, it could help us know how to stop Melkor."

_Mi'aiq remembers the day Avitus left Mi'aiq when he went to track down Melkor… Master said he was going on just a little trip, he left Mi'aiq at home. But he never came back… Seth, do not try to do what he did. _

Mi'aiq's warning fell on deaf ears as Seth kept driving without another word.

They reached the borders of Lost Mesa and instantly knew something was very amiss.

The voices of hundreds of undead echoed from everywhere, and the sky was pitch black, as if a curtain had been pulled over the sun.

They drove through the darkness without stopping for ten minutes, and then Seth sensed the presence of a crowd of zombies right in front of the car. He slammed on the gas and ran them over without stopping. How hadn't sensed their presence until just then made him worry.

They continued driving until Jin said, "Stop. The house should be around here somewhere."

Seth eased on the brake and parked. Opening his car door and stepping out into the darkness. He took Vasilis and his backpack out of the trunk and opened the backseat door to take out Mi'aiq.

A weight launched out of the back of the car and hit him on the head, scratching and clinging to his face.

Seth sighed and peeled and pried his friend off his face, "Mi'aiq, you scaredy-cat." He picked his cell phone from the backseat.

The trunk slammed, and Seth assumed Jin had closed the trunk, because he couldn't see anything in the dark. But he could see her spirits, bobbing in the air next to her, illuminating a little area around her face.

"Hey, Jin?"

She turned towards the sound of his voice.

"Can you tell your ancestors to circle out wider? We might be able to see more area, they glow a little.

Jin nodded and said, "Spread out and glow more,"

_IS THAT ANY WAY TO SPEAK TO YOUR ELDERS, YOU—_

"Please!" Jin squeaked, and the spirits quieted and begrudgingly bobbed into their places and brightened their glow.

A circle area about fifteen feet wide was illuminated, revealing dusty ground and the beginning of a building that their car was almost inches from.

Seth turned to Jin, impressed, "If not for your intuition, we would have been a pancake!"

_Better a pancake than zombie-food! _Mi'aiq grumbled, swishing his tail along he dusty ground.

"Well, sorry to ruin your day by keeping our transportation intact so we can get out of here faster." Seth said, giving Mi'aiq a meaningful side-glace.

They started walking towards the house and found the door unlocked. They entered and were surprised to find all the lights on despite none showing through the windows.

Set and Jin cautiously stepped into the house and Seth slung Vasilis into his pack and reached under his long, black coat to take one of his double short-swords from their sheath.

Jin took a short, wooden pole from her back and twirled it, turning it into a double-ended spear.

They snuck through the house with their secondary-weapons drawn and at the ready they found nothing in the main room so they moved on and found a bedroom.

There seemed to be a person lying on the bed, they both ran over and discovered a woman who appeared to be sleeping.

"Mara," Seth whispered, "I remember her… just barely."

Jin swallowed and gripped her spear, "Is she… dead?"

Seth nodded and cast his hand over her body, unlocking her last memory, a trick he had learned to do. He accidently unlocked this talent by stumbling over a corpse two years prior and witnessed the unfortunate person's final moments and last regrets displayed like a cinematic record.

He watched as Mara's last moments played out in front of him, she was in the kitchen cutting up some onions. She put down the knife as the acids stung her eyes. She wiped her hands off on a towel and wiped away some tears that had formed as a result.

"Such pretty tears…" A voice cooed from behind her.

She turned around, grabbing the knife like a seasoned soldier, and snapping into a defective position.

"What are you?" She asked bluntly, her eyes hard with distrust.

Melkor, his skin still grey as cracked asphalt and eyes still black as souless darkness didn't exactly look the part of a unicorn.

"Oh, nobody, really. Just a lost Fairy creature, looking for a home."

"You are no Fairy." Mara growled, her stance tensing eve more.

Melkor shrugged casually and twitched his fingers.

Mara screamed and nearly dropped her knife due to the pain wracking her every fiber of her being. Her hands shook with effort, but the knife stayed.

Melkor raised his eyebrow, amused as a cat who was witnessing the end of a wounded bird that couldn't fly away.

Mara's eyes flicked over to the window.

"Oh help won't come," Melkor said, reading her thoughts, "They are all dead, you see."

"All… dead?" Mara whispered, unbelieving, then her eyes hardened once again, "Impossible."

Melkor smiled softly and waved a hand, "Bye," Then disappeared.

A half-rotted arm crashed through the window, grabbing Mara by her throat. She cut off the hand and pitched it into the sink, she ran to grab a relic from the wall nearby, but Melkor materialized in a cloud of black.

She ran right into him without hesitating, stabbing him in the stomach with her kitchen knife.

Melkor sighed as if barely irritated and gripped his hand firmly around hers that was wrapped around the handle. He slowly pulled the knife from the wound, the darkness healing it before any blood seeped out, and the wound closed.

Mara's hands were shaking as she staggered backwards, realizing the enormity of what she was dealing with.

"A… demon?" She whispered brokenly.

"Worse; 'That which falls from light can become darker than which that is already stained.'… Right?"

More zombies came through the windows, moaning and groping the air, staggering forward, their stench clouding the air.

Mara spun around, looking for a way out, her eyes passed over two of the zombies and gasped.

"Friends of yours?" Melkor chuckled, pushing some of his white hair back, "I found them and decided I liked them better dead, or should I say; _undead_." He laughed, turning away and waving a dismissive hand. "Later,"

Mara looked at the Preserve's last remaining hands, now zombies before her, what had they done to deserve this? It was terrible, no! Unforgivable.

With an enraged cry, Mara darted forward to stab Melkor as he walked away, back turned to her.

The last thing Seth saw was a blur of motion and everything coming crashing to black with the sound of a sickening crunch.


	8. Chapter 8

Kendra rubbed her temples and leafed through the pages of notes that Patton had written about his adventures. So far there was no mention of Avitus or Melkor, she was tired and just about done with everything.

She was also apprehensive about the call Seth would give her when he identified the bodies, found traces of Melkor, and successfully got out of Lost Mesa. She kept glaring at her phone, unable to keep herself from worrying.

She sighed and flipped the next page in Patton's journal, looking down at the page and her eyes barely scanning over it. But her eyes stopped, at the bottom of the page, the word; _Mi'aiq_ appeared.

_I have met the most interesting person on my way to Italy, a shape-shifter by the name of Mi'aiq, who takes pleasure from appearing as a black cat, stopped me from entering the tomb of his dead master. I had only wanted to explore what was inside, not necessarily disturb the body or rob the interior, but Mi'aiq was adamant about watching my every move in the tomb. The shapeshifter followed me and did a great deal of sniffing me up and down before he let me anywhere near the body of his former master…_

Kendra turned the page eagerly to see what Patton had written next.

_Avitus, Shadow-Master of the Ancient world. I looked into historical records and found that he indeed had quite a reputation. He was a master of souls, crusher of armies, the challenger of kings and emperors. These are but a few of his titles, and I know there are many more that were never written, hidden in the mists of time. _

Kendra leaned closer to the book in surprise she didn't know Avitus was quite this infamous; she hadn't done any research on the Shadow-Charmer because she was always so busy. She stretched and grabbed her notepad, jotting down the previous paragraph and continued reading with interest.

_The most intriguing thing about him, though, was something that neither his animal companion nor the records knew of. I came across this bit of information quite by accident and ended up staying in Turkey for three months, Lena had to come retrieve me and cart me back to America. But while I was with the troupe, (more details on my trip in Turkey later on), they told me the most amazing story, I could hardly believe my ears! I will do my best to translate this story from the original Turkish below._

_There was a great Shadow-Charmer called Avitus who traveled all over the known world in search of the Dark Unicorn Melkor, who caused nothing but chaos wherever he went. To stop the Dark Unicorn he created three items of great power, but before the forth, and final one, was completed Melkor appeared to Avitus and they did battle. Avitus managed to put a seal on the Unicorn and took away the dark horn, the source of the darkness. Though it banished Melkor to the depths of the Unicorn's mind and soul, part of the darkness still remained. _

_Avitus, drained of his power from the seal, finished the fourth artifact as a safeguard and gave the four artifacts to the Unicorn to hide in the four corners of the world. _

_To the wisest of all dragons, Morgana, he entrusted the Dark Horn. Thus insuring the safety of humanity for thousands of years after._

_The leader of the troupe then pulled me aside and told me the part of the story he left out because I had asked for the full story. The part he told me was two things:_

_The Unicorn originally was good but hornless, and went to Avitus to make him a new horn, and that is what corrupted him. But Avitus didn't intend to have that happen, and regretted his mistake and did whatever it took to right his wrong. _

_And Avitus' other motivation, the troupe leader told me; Avitus and Melkor were lovers. _

_When I asked the shapeshifter of Avitus' relation to Melkor, the cat hissed and shrunk away into the shadows muttering about stupid lost travelers. He seemed not to like the mention of the Dark Unicorn. _

_But that didn't stop my research, I found one of the artifacts in the tomb, but I left it there. It would be a nice trophy to bring home, but I have more respect for this Avitus than to take his dying work. _

Marked in the margins of the page was a note for the reader, probably written by Patton after the time-travel.

_To the reader, whoever it may concern. If this knowledge is of any use to you, I have learned of the appearances of the artifacts, though their locations are secret to me._

The Mirror of Truth_- A magical mirror that when you look into it all your secrets will come to light, and if you have murdered, you will be killed or severely wounded. _

The Hand of Life and Death_- A preserved hand endued with magic that is said to be able to heal any person or kill any person. But it is said if used to heal someone on the verge of death or kill an innocent person the hand will turn of the user and strangle them to death. _

The Circlet of Dominance_- Anyone who wears the circlet can make whole empires grovel at their feet, but the price is the wearer's sanity. Many Roman Emperors wore this and as a result lost their minds and their heads. _

The Chalice of Holy Light_- Otherwise known as the 'Holy Grail' from which Jesus drank. It is rumored to grant the drinker Eternal life, but the truth is that the drinker of the liquid simply cannot die unless by their own hand. They can age, but they will not die by it. They will waste away if they don't eat, but they will not die. It also makes the drinker invulnerable to all attacks _except their own_. _

_I do not know how anyone would use these items to take Melkor down, but if need be, I am sure that they would come up with something. Best of luck- Patton_.


	9. Chapter 9

Seth woke up sweating and breathing hard, he sat up shakily from the floor as Jin put a hand to his shoulder,

"Are you alright?" She asked, understanding the situation but not the impact.

Seth shivered and stood, shaking off the feeling of death and terror with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Melkor was here, he did this, but I don't think he stuck around." He reported.

Jin nodded grimly and they both carried Mara's body, as well as the two lifeless zombie corpses they found in the closet out to the back to bury.

As they stepped outside, they found that the darkness was gone and the sun was high in the sky, the day blindingly bright.

Seth squinted and set the bodies down on the ground, walking over to his car and unlocking the trunk and opening it. He pulled two shovels from the back and looked around.

A spell had been laid over Lost Mesa to keep it in the darkness. It didn't make any logical sence why someone would do that unless they had a plan.

The zombies had been a way for Seth to vaguely understand where everything was. The darkness… Kendra could see in the dark! So, Melkor knew someone was coming, either him, who could sense the dead, or his sister, who could see in the dark.

And whatever motive Melkor had, it was best that he and his sister remained alive… for now.

Seth sighed and closed the trunk, making his way over to Jin and tossing her a shovel and beginning to dig in the dirt himself.

When they finished they packed their stuff back in the car and drove out of the preserve.

Jin kept looking behind her, "Are you sure it's alright to leave the zombies out to roam? When night comes again they will be out, some might—"

"No, they won't be going anywhere. The preserve might have no caretaker, but the Fairy Queen is overseeing the boundaries and the contract now." Seth cut in deftly, his eyes dark and focused on the road ahead.

Jin reluctantly turned back to face front again as Seth's cell phone rang.

He picked it up and answered.

"Seth! Meet me in the Fairy Kingdom, now!" Kendra ordered, "Level 6 emergency. Briefing once you arrive in a secure location. How long until you can make it?"

Seth trunked the car abruptly with a squeal of tires and began speeding his car back the way they came.

"Give me the location of the Fairy Shrine and clearance to pass through and It could be as soon a fifteen minutes."

"Got it," Kendra said, "Clearance permitted, you are currently two miles away from the shrine. How much are we transporting?"

"Everything but the car."

"Right, see you in a few minutes."

She hung up and Seth put his phone back in his pocket, slamming his foot down on the gas pedal harder than before.

Jin glanced worriedly at the fuel level, "Seth, we might not have enough gas to get back out of here."

"That's fine, because we're not."

Jin's eyes widened and she began to protest, "But-!"

"We're going to leave the car, taking the car with us into the Fairy Realm would leave a much bigger hole in the defense and leave the Fairy Kingdom more susceptible to attacks in the twenty-four hour time period after transportation.

If it's just us, then we are already risking the Fairy Kingdom's safety, but Melkor would have to be here himself to break into the Fairy kingdom using the transportation line we used. I'm betting on him not being here to do that or at least on him _choosing_ not to take this opportunity."

Seth explained his voice cold and sharp as steel.

Jin paled and shuddered, she didn't like that darker, more calculating side of Seth that had surfaced more and more often on their missions. But she did recognize that he knew the risk he was taking by just transporting them, let alone the car.

They arrived at the shrine and jumped out of the car, grabbing a few of their bags with things from other adventures that they had to take, and running to the entrance to the alcove.

The fairy statue stood on a slab of rock in the middle of a small pool of water stood the statue of the Fairy Queen. Seth grabbed Mi'aiq and jumped in, followed by Jin.

They surfaced, stumbling out of the fountain in the town. The Astrids standing around the fountain in formation parted and let Seth and Jin walk past them and to the castle.

Two Astrids accompanied them all the way to Kendra's office door, when the door opened, they left, bowing to Seth and Jin.

Seth got a good look at the person who opened the door and did a double-take.

Gavin looked in both directions and motioned for them to come in.

"I thought you weren't allowed here," Seth commented to Gavin as the dragon in human form bolted the door and marched back over to the table where Kendra sat.

"Things change, hard times call for great risks." Gavin said.

Kendra closed the folder she was holding and walked over to Seth, handing it to him.

"This is the information you requested. Look it over in here, and then destroy it."

Seth nodded and reported, "Mara and two others were killed. Melkor freed the zombies and killed them."

Kendra's expression stayed the same, as if she had already prepared herself to receive the news. "Good work. Now, I would suggest that you go after the contents in that folder, I will be tracking Melkor now."

"On the field?" Seth asked, surprised that Kendra would be getting her hands dirty after so many years of commanding from the base.

"Yes, I will take Gavin and a few other guards with me. I will be making sure that all of our friends are safe. You take care of that," She pointed to the folder, "It could be our only chance."

Seth nodded unquestioningly and opened the folder, reading the contents his eyes widened.

"This is-!"

Kendra nodded, "Good luck,"

Seth looked up and met his sister's eyes, "You too."


	10. Chapter 10

"Addie!" A happy voice called her name; she opened her eye and smiled happily. Bigger, warm, nice hands took hers and pulled her up.

She smiled her face lighting up, "Brother!" She hugged him and nuzzled her head into his chest.

He laughed too and rubbed her back, "It's time to go home,"

"Alright!" She beamed and took him hand, skipping alongside him and humming.

They walked through the flower field together, his longer strides matching her childish skipping easily. It was so easy, so comfortable to be together.

The sun reflected off the shining palace that gleamed at the center of their beautiful kingdom, visible from everywhere in their realm like a beacon of hope.

Adalyn skipped inside the entrance happily and saw her father walking gracefully down the hallway, his long silver hair blowing in the gentle breeze coming from the huge open windows.

"Father!" Adalyn cried in glee as she launched herself at him and clung to his robe.

He looked down and smiled peacefully, "A princess should not run or jump onto people, Daughter." He said, not harshly.

Adalyn let go and looked down at her grass-stained toes. "Sorry, Father." She stroked the fabric of her dress and pinched it between her fingers, balling her fist up.

Bracken walked over quietly and placed a hand on her shoulder and began fixing her grass-filled and tousled hair with the other hand.

"My son,"

Bracken looked up, surprised that his father had addressed him directly.

"Yes?" He asked breathlessly, a giddy, bubbly feeling rising in his chest.

"Your Mother and I wish to speak with you and your sister. Would you care to join me in the council room for a talk there?"

Bracken could barely contain his happiness as he smiled calmly on the outside.

"It would be our pleasure, wouldn't it, Addie?"

"Mm-hm!" His little sister chirped, finding a small flower in her hair she handed it to her father. "For you!"

"Thank you," Their father said, taking it in his hand and tucking it into his braid.

Bracken watched this exchange a little enviously, then followed silently as their father and his sister walked ahead to the council room chatting happily.

Bracken's eyes drifted to the open archway windows and to the courtyard outside. The blue of his eyes glazed over for a moment as he looked up at the sky, a dull feeling overtaking him, his envy blew away with the slight wind leaving no trace.

He continued walking and found himself in front of the council room doors. He had only ever been inside twice his entire life. And an invitation from his mother, the queen, that was just unthinkably wonderful.

He stepped inside after his father and sister and stopped just inside the doorway, staring at the beautiful person sitting gracefully in one of the chairs, her long hair sweeping gracefully down in a waterfall like mirage, her kind blue eyes warm and full of depth and love.

"Mother!" Adalyn gasped, running to her and wrapping her little arms around the woman's neck.

The woman smiled rapturously and embraced her youngest daughter.

"Adalyn!" Her voice chimed like a hundred different tinkling wind chimes softly.

She looked up and saw her son standing by the door, watching her. Smiling, she beckoned with her hand towards him,

"Bracken, my child, do not be shy. Come here,"

The sound of her voice gently calling to him made Bracken want to cry with despair and longing.

A warm flood of tears began flowing from his eyes; he gasped and touched his face in astonishment. Tears.

They all watched him with peaceful concern, not moving from their positions except Adalyn, who hopped down from her Mother's lap and went over to him, tugging on his robe.

Bracken wiped away his tears and sent Adalyn a quick smile, kneeling and saying,

"My Queen,"

His voice wavered slightly as he did so, his emotions clogging his throat, making it hard to breathe. He just wanted her approval, her love. His father's attention, his pride. He just wanted-

No one except Adalyn saw the Queen's forehead crease slightly as the Queen of Fairykind regarded her son.

"My Son, I have a duty for you to perform."

Bracken stood quickly, looking up as he did so, his eyes wide with hope.

"Yes?"

The Queen smiled contentedly, "As you know, Adalyn is next in line for the throne after me; her older sisters have all renounced their claim, so the duty falls to her."

Bracken looked down at his little sister, who was looking up at him with her deep blue eyes wide with concern and love.

"But she cannot bear this burden fully alone. The presence of a consort is crucial to help the ruler." She directed her gaze back to Bracken, her eyes piercing. "I have chosen you as her supporter, her companion for life."

Bracken's eyes went wide. He? The next Queen's consort?

"But-" He protested, thinking of Adalyn.

"You will grow to love her in time." The Queen assured, "And it doesn't matter, as long as Adalyn wishes it so then you have no objection to the matter."

Bracken shut his mouth and took in a shuddering breath in through his nose quietly.

She leaned down to look Adalyn in the eye, "Adalyn, darling? Would you like to be like Mother and Father but with Bracken?"

Adalyn frowned and looked up at her older brother, "You mean… In love?"

"Yes,"

"With… Big Brother?" She said, still uncertain of the question.

"Yes,"

"But already love him!" She pouted, grabbing his hand. "I am in love with Bracken already, Mother!"

"So it seems." The Queen settled back into her seat contentedly. She looked over at Bracken and noted his downcast expression, "Speak your mind, young one."

Bracken looked at her, begging, "Please, Mother, she is only five years old, I am but ten years older than she, could this not wait until…"

"Bracken." His mother snapped. "You are the weakest in the family, a male; it is not your place to question what I have in store for the future."

"My love…" Oberon tried to settle his wife's temper. He reached a hand to place on her shoulder but she slapped it away.

She turned her head away from Bracken, dismissing her presence, "Now leave."

The pounding throb in Bracken's ears went dead; his body felt like it was sinking into the floor. He swallowed and nodded, whispering,

"Yes… my Queen."

He bowed brokenly and left the room.

"Bracken!" Adalyn called, but her brother was too far away for her to catch up to.

He ran down the corridor and up the stairs to his room, he opened his door and went over to the small balcony that overlooked the back courtyard. He placed his elbows on the rail and leaned forward, sighing in dejection.

He felt the presence of his Father and didn't move as Oberon walked in and shut the door behind him, moving over to stand next to his son by the rail.

Bracken turned his head to look at his father; Oberon's profile was handsome and youthful in the afternoon sunlight, not war-like at all.

In the Fairy Kingdom the Queen was to rule the kingdom during times of peace, and the king was to take charge during war.

Yet in Bracken's eyes his father was the most peaceful and benevolent Unicorn. How could he command an army? Thrive in the horror of war?

Bracken looked down at his own hands and despairingly thought what a terrible consort he would make for Addie and for the whole Realm.

He knew he wasn't strong and that he couldn't protect even himself, he was terrified with the prospect of ever having to lead the Fairy Army one day.

"When you have something to protect, you discover a great power inside you that allows you to do the impossible."

Bracken looked up at his father. Oberon smiled at his son gently,

"I was like you once, detached, shy, and opposed to violence. I still am many of those things, but now I know how to protect what is important to me… The country, our family, you."

He ruffled his son's hair affectionately, "Don't be afraid."

Bracken touched the warm spot where his father had touched his head and felt a spark of hope light up his heart and warm his whole body.

He wrapped his arms around his father and spoke with his face pressed against his robe, "Thank you, Father."

* * *

In a deep dark place a hand reached for the light, but the chains pulled taught and they fell back.

"Protect…" They whispered dispiritedly. Their hand went limp with exhaustion and they grew still.


	11. Chapter 11

Mi'aiq padded down the small, barely noticeable path that led from offside one of the main trails on the Italian island of Capri. Seth and Jin followed behind, looking around at the scree in the surrounding area, with grass and small shrubs poking up occasionally around the rocks.

Seth and Jin had gone from the portal to Fablehaven, and from there they had caught a flight with Mike to Italy, they took a train to Naples and from there to the island of Capri on a boat. Seth was worn out from all the traveling, but he was excited about seeing the resting place of his former self.

He climbed down a steep, rocky wall and when his feet touched the bottom, got out of the way for Jin to jump down. Just beyond was a cave worn into the rock wall, a thin walkway made of stone lead to another dark doorway.

Seth and Jin switched on their flashlights and ventured in, Mi'aiq checked on their progress every so often, his luminescent eyes flashing briefly before vanishing again.

When they had gotten far past the inner doorway and all hints of daylight faded, they stepped into a small crevice in the stone wall and instantly were faced with glowing light. An urn rested on a pedestal in the centre of the room.

Mi'aiq solemnly padded over to the urn and sat facing them.

_The remains of my former master lie in this jar. Please place your hand on the urn, Seth, so that you may see his final moments. _

Seth walked forward and reverently placed his hand on top of the urn's sealed lid and closed his eyes and let himself slip away into his former self's last memory.

* * *

"Avitus," A soft voice called from the darkness.

A rasping breath,

_Is that…Me? No…_

Strong arms helped him sit up.

Seth opened his eyes and saw everything through Avitus' eyes.

Next to him was... Bracken.

"Mari," Avitus whispered, "I did right?"

"Yes you did. Shhhhh…." Bracken soothed, rubbing Avitus and Seth's back and grabbing a cup of water from a nearby table.

_Mari?..._ Seth thought, _Is that what Avitus called Bracken?_

A sharp pain came from their chest. Seth looked down and saw a large amount of bandages wrapped around his torso, he raised a hand and touched his heart.

Bracken grabbed his hand and forced it down gently,

"Don't mess with the wound, it will only worsen." He brought the cup to Avitus' lips and made him drink. "Just lay back and rest, you will heal in no time!" He said, trying to sound cheerful, but Seth and Avitus could see the tears in his eyes as he quickly looked away.

Avitus and Seth felt a pang of empathy and sorrow and deep, deep love from their wounded heart. They reached out a hand and brushed away Bracken's tears and looked down at the quivering drop of liquid on their finger.

"Will you ever forgive me?"

The question made Bracken look up from his lap to Avitus' eyes

"There is nothing to forgive, Av-"

"I could have been with you for an eternity. I had that chance. But now I'm dying."

"No," Bracken took Avitus' head in his hands and kissed him on the lips gently, "Avitus, you will be fine. After you heal, we will move somewhere peaceful, alone together."

Bracken was terrified, his hands were shaking.

"That sounds nice, tell me about it later."

Bracken's eyes brightened, "Right, later, when you get better."

There was a comfortable silence where Bracken rested his head on Avitus' shoulder with his arms tangled around him. Avitus nuzzled into Bracken's long, silver hair and thought quietly to himself. They lay in silence, breathing in each other's scent, basking in each other's warmth, until Avitus opened his eyes and said,

"There is one thing that you could do, that would make me very happy."

Bracken sat up and smiled in relief, "What is it, my love?"

Avitus reconsidered and remedied, "Two things, actually. The first being; I need for you to hide one of the four tools I have created to destroy Melkor with somewhere safe."

"Somewhere like the Fairy Realm?" Bracken asked.

"No, somewhere in the mortal world… Jerusalem. I think. Yes. Take it there, put it in a place where no one would look for it. Morgana has already hidden The Hand in the frozen lands in the north east, I sent the others elsewhere and hidden a map just in case…"

Avitus broke down coughing, cupping a hand to his mouth to catch the blood.

Bracken grabbed a wet cloth from the table and wiped the blood off Avitus' mouth and hand once the attack had past.

"And the second thing I can do for you?" Bracken asked, more to keep himself calm and to keep Avitus talking than anything.

"Smile."

Bracken looked up in astonishment; his clear blue eyes seemed to be searching intently in Avitus' eyes for something.

"That sounds like something a dying man would say, pull yourself together, Avitus." He chided, worriedly as he crushed some medicinal herbs in a bowl and mixed in some warm water, dabbing some cloth into the mix and pressing it to Avitus' forehead.

Avitus smiled down at his lap, letting Bracken fuss over him.

"Remember when we first met?" Avitus chuckled.

"Your cloak caught on fire." Bracken recalled, reapplying the gauze on a small cut on the Shadow-charmer's arm.

"Yes," Avitus caught Bracken's had as it moved away and kissed his knuckles, "You laughed then, I remember thinking you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen before."

"Hold still," Bracken said, applying some more bandages. Avitus sighed and knocked the medical supplies from his hands and forced the unicorn to look him in the eye.

"My greatest wish if for you to be happy and continue smiling, even if I am not around. So…"

He kissed Bracken desperately, his hands clutching at the silver stands of hair but growing weaker by the second. A tear coursed its way down Bracken's cheek that fell onto their lips and made their kiss taste salty sweet like blood and saltwater.

They parted and gazed into each other's eyes with heartbreaking sorrow for a moment, then Avitus whispered,

"Smile, beautiful traveler, smile."

His last breath was a gentle one, his eyes closed, his body fell forward onto Bracken, and as Seth left Avitus' body with his predecessor's spirit, he saw the spirit of Avitus kneel next to his lover as Bracken's eyes widened in shock, fear, and disbelief as the pulse of the very person he lived for, disappeared.

Tears of unbearable grief formed in Bracken's eyes and he screamed in agony,

"No! Avitus don't leave me! Why?! Avitus!"

He clung to the corpse as his body convulsed with sobs, kneeling on the ground.

Darkness overcame Seth's whole spirit as he tried to reach out to Bracken to try to comfort his torment, but his and was only like smoke, and his whole being dissolved.

* * *

Sorry not sorry about the angst-dump.

A few might have been wondering about Avitus' nickname for Bracken, a.k.a 'Mari'

Mari = Sea in Latin

Bracken is the name of a sea plant and the name was too foreign for Avitus to pronounce, so he began calling Bracken, 'Mari herbas' or 'sea plant'.

Eventually this changed and Avitus took to calling Bracken 'Mariti' or 'husband' in Latin.

( I apologize for any mistakes in Latin.)

-Snow T.


	12. Chapter 12

The mourners drifted around the palace like rain clouds in the wind, heavy and lost. All wept for the loss of their Queen's consort and the eldest daughter of the Fairy Queen, who both had fell in the skirmish against the Demon King.

Rain fell from the dark clouds that hung above the realm, reflecting the Queen's mood.

Bracken held out his hand and felt the raindrops fall on his hand as he stood next to the large windows in the entryway. He closed his fist on the droplets and swallowed another wave of regret and hatred.

He pulled his hand back to him as he heard the main doors opening; he turned with a sad, courteous smile on his face and bowed to the guests.

Agad, a powerful wizard, walked thought he door and helped hold it open wider for Morgana, the greatest of dragons squeezed through next, her big, black form barely fitting, a few more wizards and apprentices came in after, relived to be out of the rain.

Agad came over to Bracken and bowed as well, rain dripping a little off his small beard,

"Young Prince Bracken, it would be very wonderful to see you again if not for the grim circumstances."

Bracken silently nodded and indicated with his outstretched arm, "The Queen will see you, this way, please."

He started down the silent hallway, ignoring the out-of-season chill in the air. They all filed in behind him and let him lead them to the council chamber.

"Such a dreary place!" remarked one of the lesser wizards, rubbing his arms and the corners of his eyes squinting as he looked around the dimly lit hall.

Bracken stopped in his tracks and turned.

Everyone behind him froze; his glare was nothing short of pure terror. All of their hair stood on end until he turned back around and continued walking.

Agad noticed the malevolent gleam in the young Unicorn's eyes and sensed danger, but he decided it was only his paranoia in these dark times.

They reached the doors and the humans went inside, followed by Bracken, who went to his mother's side.

The black dragon felt a tug on her wing flap. Her son nudged her with his nose to get her attention

_Mama?_ The tiny dragon asked, sounding as if it were about to cry.

_Just stay out of the room._ The great black dragon snapped and shrunk down to human form, striding through the door and shutting the doors behind her with magic.

The baby black dragon sniffled and curled up where it sat and looked downcast.

Adalyn, who had been hiding behind a column in her true form, came out and trotted over to the kid-dragon. She inspected it, sniffing with her equine-like nose. The dragon lifted its head and fell backwards in shock.

Adalyn pranced backwards and swished her tail, "Are you crying?" She turned into her eight-year-old human avatar and came forward again cautiously.

"No!" The dragon turned into a little boy, no older than her, and wiped tears out of his eyes. "I'm not!" He pouted and drew his legs up to him.

"I'm Adalyn, but you can call me Addie!" She giggled, peeking curiously at his head. She reached out and tugged at his loose curls in fascination.

"Hey! Stop it!" He slapped her hand away and blushed, standing up, growling and bearing his teeth.

His eyes widened when he saw that she hadn't moved an inch and her eyes were still shining with innocent perplexity.

"What's your name?" She asked, grinning.

The young dragon blushed and looked away, "Gavin," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in mild apprehension.

Adalyn took his free hand in hers and smiled at him, "Nice name, Gavin! Do you want to play?"

"Um, sure." He said shyly. Adalyn gasped in joy and tugged him along, running down the hallway.

* * *

"Five locks, five hidden places, five eternals." Agad said, placing the prototypes on the table.

"We have a basic idea of the materials needed for these, we will need your cooperation, of course," He nodded to the Fairy Queen, who just blankly stared ahead in response. Agad looked away sadly and continued, "For one of these we need a very powerful object that only one of your kingdom could provide."

"Very well," The Queen whispered bleakly, a hollow shell of her former self, racked with grief.

Agad paused for a very long moment, "… A Unicorn's third horn."

The Fairy Queen sat up a little straighter and glared harshly at the wizard, "Do you know what you ask?!" She cried indignantly, a spark of fury in her eyes on the behalf of all of the Unicorn's in her nation.

"I'll do it."

Everyone's attention focused on Bracken as the words left his lips.

The Fairy Queen suddenly wrapped her arms around Bracken and cried desperately, shaking him. "You cannot! You and Adalyn are all that I have! All that I have…" She broke down, sobbing.

The whole room's spirits seemed to sink to the very depths of the ocean as the salt water taste of despair coated the inside of their mouths.

"My Queen," Bracken said softly, stroking her arms and back to soothe her sobs. "It is not as if I am dead without my third horn."

The whole room went deathly quiet as Agad opened his mouth and took a breath to talk.

All eyes shifted to gaze at the wizard as he stood carefully, looking Bracken dead in the eye.

"It has been done only once, it is said… The Unicorn did not live."

Bracken looked down for a moment then back up at Agad, determined.

"But if I do this, my family will be safe. The demons will be locked away forever."

"We hope, forever." Agad corrected, "As you heard before, to create five eternals and five artifacts that will act as safeguards against the opening of Zzyx." He looked down at his hands, "I just hope, your sacrifice…" he looked up at Bracken. "…will not be in vain."

The sound of the rain continued outside, masking the laughter of the two children playing in the courtyard outside.


	13. Chapter 13

"Seth, Seth, Seth!"

He woke to Jin shaking him by the shoulders and calling his name franticly. When his eyes snapped open and blinked she let out a sigh of relief and dropped him back on the floor.

His head spun with images and his throat chocked up with emotion. What had he seen?

He sat up and rubbed his aching head that she had dropped him on, then he looked around and processed where he was.

"Well? Did you learn anything?" Jin asked excitedly

Seth put his shaking hands over his eyes and tried in vain to stem the tears that came unbidden. The cries of Bracken's distress still ringing in his ears, Seth tried to shake off the feeling of dread.

"The cup might be in Jerusalem," Seth shook his head, trying to clear it, "And something about a map…" He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as a headache ripped through his skull.

Mi'aiq nudged over a stone bowl with his nose.

_He must have meant this, he told Mi'aiq before he died to hide the 'map' with his body. _

Seth took the stone bowl and inspected it as he reached inside his pocket for his flashlight.

Around the rim of the bowl was something carved that spelled out, _'Here place the tears of the Gods'_

Seth frowned and looked at Mi'aiq, "'The tears of the Gods?' Where are we going to get those?"

Mi'aiq's tail swished with uncertainty, and then he raised a paw slightly, as if raising his hand.

_The sea, maybe?_

"Well, that makes sense." Jin commented, crouching down beside Mi'aiq and petting his head.

Seth nodded and stood, looking to the exit to the tomb. "The sea is not so far away, let's go."

They went through the tunnels they had gone through to get there and eventually came to the rocks they had landed on when scaling down the cliff.

The ocean lapped at the shore not very far away, so they climbed down the rocks and made their way to the water's edge.

Seth got close enough to dip the bowl in the water and draw it back up.

The salt water sloshed in the bowl as Seth held it steady, Jin and Mi'aiq leaning in to see.

A blue glow emitted from the letters carved in the sides and blurred the edges for the stone. In a moment, it was gone, and what remained was different.

_Rome, Italy, The Circlet of Dominance, Avitus was here_

Was written in plain English across the rim of the bowl instead of the Latin that had been there before.

Seth read the inscription and cracked a smile,

"Looks like we're going to Rome." Seth poured the water out of the bowl and the inscription remained. "Thanks, Avitus." He said softly, then turned to look out towards the ocean.

A dark chuckle came from the top of the small cliff to their left.

They turned around and looked up, only to be blinded by a cloud of stinging darkness.

Seth jumped out of the way into the ocean and drew Vasilis.

Even though Melkor laughed as Jin screamed from inside the blast of razor-sharp blackness his eyes kept trained on Seth.

Eth bared his teeth and jumped forward, powered by the fury of Vasilis, and slashed through the dark unicorn. His sword sliced through nothing but the gaseous apparition.

He landed in a crouch on the top of the cliff cursing himself; he stood and looked down, Jin had been knocked over and now had a multitude of tiny scratches all over her body.

He jumped down and offered a hand to help her up, but she just lay thee and groaned.

"It feels like I just got a giant paper cut all over my body…"

Seth glanced back up at the cliff.

"Do you think he heard the plan?" Seth asked.

_Mi'aiq does not doubt it. _

The cat alleged gravely.


	14. Chapter 14

Screams ripped through the air as thunder cracked the sky in half, illuminating the distraught and pale faces of all of the Fairy Kingdom.

Adalyn tried to break free from her nursemaid's arms and run to the sound of her brother's pain, but she held her tight in his arms, stroking her arm as she sobbed uncontrollably.

The Fairy Queen beside them trembled with silent rage as the screams continued on through the day, long into the afternoon and well after.

Finally, when the sky was so dark that you could barely see your hand in front of your face, the sound of anguish stopped suddenly.

Adalyn's eyes widened and her whimpering ceased. All the wizards standing around them bowed their heads in respect.

The metal doors to the laboratory swung open, a few looked up, breaking the mournful scene. Those who did look up would never forget the sight they saw before them.

Silver blood running down his face, his eyes a dull, soulless, blue; the prince of the Fairy Kingdom fell to his knees and screamed one, final time.

Everyone was left speechless, their words falling soundlessly from their open mouths.

Adalyn broke free from her nursemaid's arms and ran to her brother, hugging his handing head close to her.

"Brother? Are you alright? Brother…"

Her voice faded out softly and was consumed by darkness.

Dim light filtered in again, through dark and menacing clouds.

Bracken clasped his thin, hooded cloak closer to him with cold hands. It would rain soon, he needed shelter.

Wind blew and cold raindrop hit his head, he looked up and saw the lights of torches illuminating the outside of a house with a tiled roof.

He drew closer as the rain began coming down hard, he raised a fist to rap on the door.

After a moment the door was flung open and a young man with olive skin and bright eyes that danced with excitement quickly motioned for him to enter without him having to utter a word.

Bracken stepped in through the door as the owner of the house closed the door behind him.

"Do you need shelter, protection, or information?" His host asked, motioning Bracken to sit down in the main room, pulling up another chair by the fire. The man seemed about to sit down but then reconsidered, grabbing the pot from the ground and running to the door.

"I'll be just a moment! I'll make some heated wine… Wait a moment, please!"

He scrambled to scoop rainwater from the well outside and grabbed a keg of wine, pouring the contents into the pot and rushing over to the fire pit with the pot and its sloshing contents.

Bracken watched the human in mild bemusement, turning this way and that to watch Avitus rush around, but offering no words of encouragement. And wondering what all the fuss was about.

The young man struck the fire and got it going, stirring the ashes a little. Once that was done and the pot over the fire was in place, he sat back and breathed a sigh of contentment. He rocked back on his heels and looked up at his guest, who's face he couldn't quite see from the shadows of his hood.

He sighed and balanced his chin on his hand, studying Bracken.

"You don't talk much, do you?... Don't tell me… You are deaf? Or mute…" He frowned in perplexity.

A wisp of smoke at the very edge of his vision caught his attention; he turned and recoiled in shock at the sight of his cloak on fire.

He shot to his feet and began dancing around, twirling in circles, trying to pat it out but not quite being able to reach it, panicking, and looking for water.

He stopped for a second to briefly remark in a completely serious tone to either himself or his guest, "I've never _actually_ been on fire before…huh."

Then he resumed panicking and spinning around, waving his arms and choking on his own thoughts.

Bracken stood and grabbed the pot from the fire and tossed the contents onto the burning cloak.

He stopped spinning, but his vision went dizzy, he bumped into, then leaned heavily on Bracken's shoulder and mumbled.

"Many thanks, that was fun, but let's not… do that again."

A youthful laugh came from under the hood that startled the man. Feeling suddenly awake and steady, his mind clear, the young man stood back from him and took his hand off his shoulder.

Bracken reached back and lifted the hood from his head, shaking his long, silver hair out and looking at the young man with gentle blue eyes.

This was perhaps the first time that he had ever felt truly happy since his father's death.

The young man joined in laughing with him and soon they were talking long into the night over cups of remade watered down wine and leftover goat stew from dinner.

The young man identified himself as Avitus and began telling stories of his adventures in the world, and enthusiasm began to spread from him to Bracken.

_Avitus, huh? _

Bracken smiled quietly to himself as he lay down to go to sleep on the extra blankets Avitus had lain out for him.

_I feel… at ease, like I have never felt before. Is this what some humans are like? _

Bracken turned his head to look at Avitus curled up on the chaise above him and smiled again.

"Goodnight, Avitus."


End file.
